What Are My Chances At 27 Yr Old? Thank You!

[JaneSm]

Hi everyone, just found this wonderful forum. I’m a 27 yr old office cubicle worker who has seriously been thinking about going back to school to be a pharmacist. I’d like to have your honest opinion about my chances for pharmacy school in Canada. Btw, I did my post-secondary studies (cegep & university) in Quebec becasue family relocated.

 

Here are my stats:

Year 1-Microbio & immune at McGill: 2.7/4.0 gpa

Year 2 & 3-tranferred to English literature: 3.98/4.33 gpa (incomplete)

Then second transfer to business school where I completed an entire 3-yr degree in supply chain management: 3.31/4.33 final gpa.

 

Here are my grades for pre-reqs,

sorry don’t have them in gpa as took them at cegep (equivalent to 1^st year university for students outside of Quebec):

General chem & chem of solutions: 91, 85

Organic chem: 76

Biology (with lab): 90

Calculus I & II: 91, 87

Statistics: B (done at McGill)

 

I know I am missing a few pre-reqs and I intend to complete them as an independent student. But before that, I just want to know if I even have a chance at getting in & which schools I should focus on. I'm open to relocate to anywhere in Canada.

 

If I don't have a decent chance with these current stats, what do you recommend I do? Another undergrad degree to boost gpa? or complete a masters in supply chain to boost gpa?

 

Please help as I really believe 27 is not too old to still pursue one's dreams. Any input will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Med_Pack]

I really can't speak to what the requirements are in Quebec...but I think in Ontario, the OMSAS GPA weighs the higher year courses more towards your GPA as well as full year courses more than one semester courses. I don't know what your first degree cGPA would be...it probably would be middle of the road or on the lower side as your grades were poor in year 1 but better in yr 2 and 3...

 

I don't think in ON that is the business school GPA is a competitive one..again it depends on what the OMSAS GPA is...but this gives us an idea already though of how it might be. 

 

I don't think ON schools do a separate calc for pre-req GPA, most of us don't even have pre-reqs, or they are very general for example, 1 year in life sciences etc...but you can look up each individual school to see the specifics

 

I believe most schools don't give extra points for grad work...but some do (I'm aware my school does, NOSM)....correct me if I'm wrong here guys. I think doing another undergrad opens more doors than grad work if you are coming from a purely GPA perspective..however, grad work gives you more experiences to speak of which is always really helpful for interviews...but you won't be able to get to the interview without a competitive GPA in the first place.

 

I just really really wanted to say though that 27 is NOT too old...everyone I talk to tells me that is pretty young actually, I mean in the grand scheme of things, it may be above the average age of a med school matriculant but it isn't old in the grand scheme...we have so much left in us to go to school, work our butts off, train and become a great physician! If anything, I feel I have more energy now than before because 1) I know how to manage my time way way better, and it just comes more naturally now instead of having to feel like I am always forcing it or struggling with it, of course I still get behind but even then it doesn't feel like the end of the world like it used to in undergrad 2) I have worked a string of jobs where I was discriminated against, and just not treated like everyone else, seems like sometimes people just like to go out of their way to exclude you/make you feel different like you don't somehow deserve the same treatment. Also shit pay for working your butt off with no appreciation and no intellectual stimulation is pretty tough on me too. Realizing how much worse life can be staying out of school (specifically referring to our field, of course, not every field is the same), I am excited to go back to start my first year in the MD program come August.

[lcs.tmng]

I really can't speak to what the requirements are in Quebec...but I think in Ontario, the OMSAS GPA weighs the higher year courses more towards your GPA as well as full year courses more than one semester courses. I don't know what your first degree cGPA would be...it probably would be middle of the road or on the lower side as your grades were poor in year 1 but better in yr 2 and 3...

 

I don't think in ON that is the business school GPA is a competitive one..again it depends on what the OMSAS GPA is...but this gives us an idea already though of how it might be. 

 

I don't think ON schools do a separate calc for pre-req GPA, most of us don't even have pre-reqs, or they are very general for example, 1 year in life sciences etc...but you can look up each individual school to see the specifics

 

I believe most schools don't give extra points for grad work...but some do (I'm aware my school does, NOSM)....correct me if I'm wrong here guys. I think doing another undergrad opens more doors than grad work if you are coming from a purely GPA perspective..however, grad work gives you more experiences to speak of which is always really helpful for interviews...but you won't be able to get to the interview without a competitive GPA in the first place.

 

I just really really wanted to say though that 27 is NOT too old...everyone I talk to tells me that is pretty young actually, I mean in the grand scheme of things, it may be above the average age of a med school matriculant but it isn't old in the grand scheme...we have so much left in us to go to school, work our butts off, train and become a great physician! If anything, I feel I have more energy now than before because 1) I know how to manage my time way way better, and it just comes more naturally now instead of having to feel like I am always forcing it or struggling with it, of course I still get behind but even then it doesn't feel like the end of the world like it used to in undergrad 2) I have worked a string of jobs where I was discriminated against, and just not treated like everyone else, seems like sometimes people just like to go out of their way to exclude you/make you feel different like you don't somehow deserve the same treatment. Also shit pay for working your butt off with no appreciation and no intellectual stimulation is pretty tough on me too. Realizing how much worse life can be staying out of school (specifically referring to our field, of course, not every field is the same), I am excited to go back to start my first year in the MD program come August.

Med_Pack, this is a PharmD thread not a MD thread. Still agree with the age comment, especially considering the initial training length to potential years of work ratio is somewhat more profitable for pharmacist than for physicians (even in FM),

 

Honestly age is really irrelevant to admission offices.

 

I think you'd have some reasonable chances at UBC, while your stats are not really competitive (especially as an OOP) maybe apply this fall and register somewhere as a non degre student, take some bird courses and/or missing prereq to boost your chances of getting an interview next spring.

 

Also, give Laval and Montreal a shot. A lot of anglophones do. I doubt that your competitive but at least you'll figure out your CRU.

 

I don't recall any Pharmcy AO that uses grad work in their selection process.